How many hours' notice must a landlord give before entering in Alabama?

2 days. The statute phrases this as at least two days' notice of intent to enter, and entry may take place only at reasonable times (§ 35-9A-303(c)). The notice need not be handed over personally: posting a note on the primary door of entry stating the intended time and purpose of the entry is a statutorily permitted method.

What reasons allow a landlord to enter a rental in Alabama?

With the tenant's consent, which the tenant may not unreasonably withhold, a landlord may enter for inspection, necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, supplying necessary or agreed services, or exhibiting the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors (§ 35-9A-303(a)).

Can a landlord enter without notice in an emergency in Alabama?

Yes — Alabama recognizes an emergency exception to the entry-notice requirement.

Are there time-of-day limits on when a landlord can enter in Alabama?

No clock hours — entry is limited to 'reasonable times' only, both for noticed entry and for signed-general-notice showings.

How much notice must a landlord give before entering in Alabama?

Verified July 10, 2026 All Alabama topics →

Alabama landlords must give tenants at least two days' notice before entering a rental for inspections, repairs, services, or showings, and may enter only at reasonable times — and the statute expressly allows delivering that notice by posting a note on the tenant's front door stating the intended time and purpose.

Cited to Ala. Code § 35-9A-303 (current-code mirror, 2025 ed.) (a)-(e) and 2 more Alabama statutes · Verified July 10, 2026

No-notice entry is limited to an exclusive list: emergencies, court orders, statutory extended-absence situations, reasonable cause to believe the tenant has abandoned the premises, and — only if the tenant signed a separate general access notice — showings to prospective tenants or buyers within four months of lease expiration, in the prospect's company. Two practical shortcuts are built in: a schedule or general notice issued more than two days ahead covers recurring work like pest control without fresh per-entry notice, and a tenant who requests a repair is deemed to have consented to the entry that performs it. There are no clock-hour limits, only 'reasonable times,' and the landlord may not use access rights to harass the tenant.

Alabama entry notice at a glance

Advance notice required	2 days
Notice standard	The statute phrases this as at least two days' notice of intent to enter, and entry may take place only at reasonable times (§ 35-9A-303(c)). The notice need not be handed over personally: posting a note on the primary door of entry stating the intended time and purpose of the entry is a statutorily permitted method. Under § 35-9A-141(3), 'day' means calendar day, but a period ending on a weekend or official holiday runs to the next business day.
Permitted reasons	With the tenant's consent, which the tenant may not unreasonably withhold, a landlord may enter for inspection, necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, supplying necessary or agreed services, or exhibiting the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors (§ 35-9A-303(a)). Without consent, § 35-9A-303(b) sets an exclusive list: emergency; court order; as permitted by §§ 35-9A-422 and 35-9A-423(b) (extended-absence and remedies provisions); showings to a prospective tenant or purchaser within four months of lease expiration IF the tenant signed a separate general access notice, with the required two days' prior notice and only in the prospect's company; and reasonable cause to believe the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises. A general notice or advance schedule given more than two days ahead for repairs, maintenance, pest control, or health and safety service substitutes for per-entry notice (§ 35-9A-303(d)), the tenant may consent to shorter notice, and a tenant who requests repairs is deemed to have consented to entry to perform them (§ 35-9A-303(e)).
Emergency exception	Yes
Time-of-day restrictions	No clock hours — entry is limited to 'reasonable times' only, both for noticed entry and for signed-general-notice showings.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Alabama Landlord Entry Notice Laws (verified July 10, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/entry-notice/alabama/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Alabama statute in the citations section below.

Notes and caveats

The pre-expiration showing right is commonly misstated — The § 35-9A-303(b)(4) right to show the unit without per-entry consent requires a SEPARATE signed general access notice — a lease clause is not enough — operates only within four months of lease expiration, still requires the two days' notice, and the landlord must be accompanied by the actual prospect.
'Two days,' not '48 hours' — The statute phrases the requirement as 'at least two days' notice' (§ 35-9A-303(c)); the 48-hour figure is simply that period expressed in hours. Under § 35-9A-141(3) those are calendar days, with a period ending on a weekend or official holiday running to the next business day.
Door-posting counts as notice — Posting a note on the primary door of entry stating the intended time and purpose of the entry is a statutorily permitted notice method — an unusual one. The 2006 Alabama Comment frames it as a fallback after attempted personal notice.
Emergency entry needs neither consent nor notice — Emergencies sit on the exclusive no-consent list in § 35-9A-303(b) and require no advance notice.
Who is covered — Chapter 9A applies statewide with no county-population carve-out (§ 35-9A-121); the only scope limits are the § 35-9A-122 exclusions — hotels, agricultural leases, employment housing, condominium owners, post-sale seller occupancy up to 36 months, and similar.

Common questions: Alabama entry notice

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How many hours' notice must a landlord give before entering in Alabama?: 2 days. The statute phrases this as at least two days' notice of intent to enter, and entry may take place only at reasonable times (§ 35-9A-303(c)). The notice need not be handed over personally: posting a note on the primary door of entry stating the intended time and purpose of the entry is a statutorily permitted method.
What reasons allow a landlord to enter a rental in Alabama?: With the tenant's consent, which the tenant may not unreasonably withhold, a landlord may enter for inspection, necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements, supplying necessary or agreed services, or exhibiting the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workmen, or contractors (§ 35-9A-303(a)).
Can a landlord enter without notice in an emergency in Alabama?: Yes — Alabama recognizes an emergency exception to the entry-notice requirement.
Are there time-of-day limits on when a landlord can enter in Alabama?: No clock hours — entry is limited to 'reasonable times' only, both for noticed entry and for signed-general-notice showings.

Statute citations

Ala. Code § 35-9A-303 (current-code mirror, 2025 ed.) (a)-(e) (verified 2026) Unofficial mirror
Ala. Code § 35-9A-303 (official ALISON code viewer) (a)-(e) (verified 2026) Official source
HB 287 / Act 2006-316 (official as-enacted text; § 303 later amended by Acts 2009-633 and 2011-700) (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Alabama's code is LexisNexis-published and the official ALISON code viewer requires interactive access (the legacy alisondb host is dead), so verification pairs independent current-code mirrors with official as-enacted session-law text: Ala. Code §§ 35-9A-121, 35-9A-122, 35-9A-141, 35-9A-143, 35-9A-161, 35-9A-163, 35-9A-201, 35-9A-303, 35-9A-421, 35-9A-441, and 11-80-8.1 each read verbatim on at least two independent hosts (Justia 2025-code edition, FindLaw current through 2024-12-30, al.elaws.us) with every decisive figure matching (one-month cap and its three exceptions, 60-day return, 90-day forfeiture, double-deposit penalty, two days' entry notice, 30-day/7-day periodic termination notice, seven-business-day cure windows), and the full text of HB 287/Act 2006-316 (the URLTA enactment, with Alabama Comments) read from the state judiciary host macon.alacourt.gov, against which whole-chapter negative checks were run (no late-fee cap, no grace period, no deposit interest, no escrow requirement). Act 2014-279 (SB291, eff. 2014-07-01, 35->60-day and 180->90-day changes) verified via matching credit lines on three mirrors; no official act PDF available. Pending-bill check 2026-07-09: 2026 Regular Session adjourned sine die; only adjacent bill HB80 (eviction writ procedure) — no bill touching the four topics. The remaining official-host confirmations were completed 2026-07-10: §§ 35-9A-201 (full (a)-(h) text, history line 'Act 2006-316, p. 668, §1; Act 2014-279, p. 886, §1'), 35-9A-303 (full (a)-(e) text), and 35-9A-441 (full (a)-(c) text) each read verbatim ON THE OFFICIAL ALISON CODE VIEWER (alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=...), matching the mirror-verified readings with no substantive differences — the citations marked official are now sight-verified, and Act 2014-279's credit line was confirmed on the official host. HB80's Senate fate also resolved 2026-07-10: passed House 103-0 (2026-01-22), reported out of Senate Judiciary (2026-02-18), placed on the Senate calendar (2026-02-19), and died in chamber without a floor vote at sine die — dead, not law, nothing to flag.